Well Alley

by Steve Goodchild
Well Alley 1880
Well Alley 1880

An article in the ‘Register’ in May 1964 headlined a report on the state of the town centre by the ‘Vigilance Committee’. It was pretty damning, and spoke mostly of decay and neglect. It did say, though ‘Attention is drawn to Well Alley with its very nice gardens and cottages and shows what can be accomplished.’ Not much has changed in Well Alley since then.

Maybe it looks as if it is, but it isn’t a typical Tewkesbury Alley. It doesn’t follow the principles for a straightforward developed burgage plot, with a passage through from the ‘front’ house and cottages in a row behind, and puzzling out what has happened over the years involves some guesswork as well as research.

It is one of the few alleys which isn’t called after the owner of the front house. Wells are a very common feature of alleys, so this must have been a special well. In his memories of the alleys, John Rogers suggested that the well, which then still existed in a garden at the Oldbury end, was the source of water for a settlement pre-dating the High Street, and which might have been connected to the Roman settlement in the Oldbury. All things are possible!

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Though the entrance passage appears to pass through No 73, the alley is really behind No 74. The absence of cottages on the left confirm this. There’s no evidence for how and when, but the passage area must have been transferred from one house to the other sometime in the past. Presumably whilst they were in common ownership. The High Street in this area is a happy mixture of small houses and grand mansions. Most of the Georgian fronts are hiding timber frames. Except for Summer’s Court, where no modernisation took place at all.

The symmetry of the plots was broken well before the time when mapping gave us information about past layouts. Hereford House had a garden which occupied a space between what is now the Roses Theatre and the back of the Well Alley cottages. Well Alley had a court extending at right-angles behind Summer’s Court, containing five cottages. A clearance order in 1955 saw their demolition. There is no trace of them now, the land being incorporated into the front house garden.

Earlier cottages may have existed along the upper part of the alley, but if they did they were demolished centuries ago. In 1833, the sale of what is now Hereford House refers to a garden owned by L.G. Senior, part of which was sold off in lots and built upon. This must be Dover Cottages and the neighbouring block.  They remain today, with small front gardens, and a sense of order which didn’t exist in most alleys, so admired by the Town Vigilance Committee.

Well Alley’s most famous resident was William Sandilands. Born in about 1780, he went to sea on merchant ships before being impressed into the Royal Navy whilst at Milford Haven. He was posted to the Victory, and at the Battle of Trafalgar he was a gun captain. He saw Nelson fall, and was one of those who helped carry him to the cockpit for treatment. He was there when he died. William continued in the Navy until the end of the wars, in 1814 and was discharged without a pension. He came home to Tewkesbury where he settled down, being employed on the roads. He hit hard times, and on the intercession of Rev. Croker Lady Nelson provided him with a pension of 2s a week from her own resources. When she died, the pension stopped. The Guardians of the Poor agreed to substitute his pension, and an appeal through the ‘Times’ raised a sum to allow him comforts like a ‘pipe and a pot’. He died in 1867, reputedly the last survivor of the Victory’s crew. He has a memorial in Holy Trinity Church.

Today, there are still nice gardens and cottages. Even the wall of the tyre workshop isn’t intrusive.

Census Data 1841-1891

1841
Well Alley
1841-b41055
Ann Barnett; Head; ; Female; 35; Stocking Maker; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41056
Peter Ricketts; Head; ; Male; 30; Shoe Maker; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41057
Henry Mayall; Head; ; Male; 60; Lab; ;yes
Mary Mayall; ? Wife; ; Female; 60; ; ;yes
Arthur Mayall; ; ; Male; 2; ; ;yes
Elizabeth Mayall; ; ; Female; 0; ; ;yes
James Mayall; ; ; Male; 7; ; ;yes
James Mayall; ; ; Male; 35; Lab; ;yes
Matilda Mayall; ; ; Female; 3; ; ;yes
Sarah Mayall; ?daughter-in-la; ; Female; 30; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41058
James Webb; Head; ; Male; 30; Stocking M; ;yes
Elizabeth Webb; ?wife; ; Female; 25; ; ;yes
Thomas Selby; ; ; Male; 45; Stocking M; ;yes
Thomas Webb; ; ; Male; 15; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41059
George Davis; Head; ; Male; 25; Framesmith; ;yes
Hannah Davis; ? Wife; ; Female; 25; ; ;yes
Ann Davis; ; ; Female; 50; ; ;yes
George Davis; ; ; Male; 50; Framesmith; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41060
John Eckery; Head; ; Male; 60; Lab; ;yes
Lydia Eckery; ?wife; ; Female; 60; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41061
Samuel Mew; Head; ; Male; 45; Boatman; ;yes
Elizabeth Mew; ?wife; ; Female; 40; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41062
William Sandilands; Head; ; Male; 50; Lab; ;yes
Elizabeth Sandilands; ?wife; ; Female; 50; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41063
Charles Mann; Head; ; Male; 45; Stocking M; ;yes
Elizabeth Mann; ?wife; ; Female; 40; Dress Maker; ;yes
Benjamin Mann; ; ; Male; 1; ; ;yes
Charles Mann; ; ; Male; 13; Lab; ;yes
Elizabeth Mann; ; ; Female; 5; ; ;yes
Martha Mann; ; ; Female; 10; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41064
Mary Rice; Head; ; Female; 25; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41065
James Nicholls; Head; ; Male; 40; Bricklayer; ;yes
Mary Nicholls; ?wife; ; Female; 40; ; ;yes
Keziah Nicholls; ; ; Female; 3; ; ;yes
Martha Nicholls; ; ; Female; 1; ; ;yes
Mary Nicholls; ; ; Female; 5; ; ;yes
Sarah Nicholls; ; ; Female; 7; ; ;yes
1841
Well Alley
1841-b41066
Thomas Harris; Head; ; Male; 20; Waterman; ;yes
Margaret Harris; ?wife; ; Female; 20; Stocking M; ;yes
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51014
Richard Collins; Head; Married; Male; 69; Bricklayer; Tewkesbury;glos
Elizabeth Collins; Wife; Married; Female; 65; ; Evesham;worcs
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51015
James Nichols; Head; Married; Male; 49; Bricklayer; Tewkesbury;glos
Mary Nichols; Wife; Married; Female; 48; ; Tewkesbury;glos
James Nichols; Son; ; Male; 9; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
Kezia Nichols; Daughter; ; Female; 14; House Serv; Tewkesbury;glos
Martha Nichols; Daughter; ; Female; 12; Silk Factory Girl; Tewkesbury;glos
William Nichols; Son; ; Male; 6; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51016
John Griffiths; Head; Married; Male; 60; Carpenter; Ripple;worcs
Catherine Griffiths; Wife; Married; Female; 38; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Catherine Griffiths; Daughter; ; Female; 12; Silk Factory Girl; Tewkesbury;glos
Charles Griffiths; Son; ; Male; 5; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
James Griffiths; Son; ; Male; 12; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
Jesse Griffiths; Son; ; Male; 1; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Louisa Griffiths; Daughter; ; Female; 8; Scholar; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51017
Philip Hovey; Head; Married; Male; 65; Frame Work Knitter; Norwich;norfolk
Elizabeth Hovey; Wife; Married; Female; 54; Dressmaker; Twyning;glos
Benjamin Mann; Son-in-law; ; Male; 12; ; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51018
Hanah Cox; Head; Married; Female; 40; Stockingmaker; Tewkesbury;glos
William Bayliss; Visitor; Unmarried; Male; 31; Stockingmaker; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51019
William Sandilands; Head; Married; Male; 66; Road Lab; Tewkesbury;glos
Elizabeth Sandilands; Wife; Married; Female; 66; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Henry Thomas Jones; Great Grandson; ; Male; 0; ; Tewkesbury;glos
Henry Jones; Grandson; Married; Male; 23; Ag Lab; Forthampton;worcs
Lousia Jones; Daughter; Married; Female; 20; Dressmaker; Tewkesbury;glos
William Sandilands; Grandson; ; Male; 13; Silk Factory Boy; Dublin;ireland
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51020
Henry Tombs; Head; Married; Male; 24; House Serv; Tewkesbury;glos
Ann Tombs ; Wife; Married; Female; 37; Charwoman; Kinsham;worcs
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51021
William Moore; Head; Married; Male; 63; Frame Work Knitter Pauper; Tewkesbury;glos
1851
Well Alley
1851-b51022
John Starling; Head; Married; Male; 37; Postman; Bushley;worcs
Displaying the 20 property records. There are more, but the search output is limited (paging has not been developed).
Number of records found: 21


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